(The referenceto
“dogs” is to thosewho quibble unnecessarilyon
superficial
issues,
itis not used in a derogatorysense.)

=======

In the middle of 13th century, a young Persian
scholar met a stranger who asked him a strange question that changed his life
for ever. That stranger was from the city of Tabriz, a wandering Dervish who
had traveled throughout the Middle East, searching and praying for someone who
was worthy of his company. There are various versions of this very interesting
encounter but it is hard to verify the facts.

The stranger said: ‘Can you endure my company?’

The young scholar, a learned professor, answered: ‘What
would you offer in return?’

Stranger: ‘My head!’

Young scholar: ‘The one you seek is Jalal-ud-Din of Konya.’

Stranger: ‘Can I ask you a question?’

Young scholar: ‘You’ll get an answer.’

When the stranger asked the question, the young scholar
fainted to the ground. According to the researchers, the stranger asked: ‘Who
was greater, Muhammad or Bestami? For Bestami had said, “How great is my
glory”, whereas Muhammad had acknowledged in his prayer to God, “We do not know
You as we should”.

The young scholar sensed the depth out of which the question
came and fell to the ground. When he regained his senses, he answered that
Muhammad was greater, because Bestami had taken one sip of the divine and
stopped there as if he was lost, whereas for Muhammad the journey was always
unfolding.

This encounter brought the two together as friends and they
became inseparable. The stranger was Shams Tabrizi, and the young scholar was
Rumi – Jalal-ud-Din Rumi, who is considered the greatest mystic poet of the
East.

‘Rumi’ means ‘Roman’ or ‘from Rome’. But the world-famous Iranian Sufi poet
and mystic, Rumi, was not from Rome.
He was actually born as ‘Jalaluddin Muhammad Balkhi’ on 30th
September, 1207, in
Wakhsh, province of Balkh, which is divided today between Afghanistan and Tajikistan. It was then part of the
Persian Empire. In Iran
and Afghanistan,
he was commonly known as Jalaluddin Muhammad Balkhi. He became Rumi, when his
family emigrated from Balkh to Konya,
Turkey (Roman Anatolia)
sometime between 1215 and 1220, the period of Mongol invasion of Central Asia. All his works are written in Persian
language. Today, he is known as ‘Maulana Rumi’ (Maulana means a religious
scholar or a learned professor).

Rumi’s father, Baha-ud-Din Walad, was a theologian, jurist
and a mystic. The profession of the family for several generations was that of
Islamic preachers of the liberal Hanafi rite and this family tradition was
continued by Rumi. Baha-ud-Din was the head of a Madrassah (school) and when he
died, Jalal-ud-Din took over the position at the age of 25. One of
Baha-ud-Din’s students, Sayyed Burhan-ud-Din Muhaqiq Termazi continued to train
Rumi in the Shariah & Tariqah and Sufism. Jalal-ud-Din Rumi was influenced first
by his own father’s spiritual writings, and then by the famous mystic poets of Persia (Iran), Sanai and Attar.

Shams Tabrizi wrote mystic poems. Rumi called the huge
collection of his odes and quatrains “The Works of Shams Tabrizi”. Their great
friendship also generated some controversies and jealousy. On one night of
December 1248, when Rumi and Shams were having mystical discussion, somebody
called Shams to the back door. He went out and never came back. Nobody ever saw
him again. The legend is that he was murdered. So, Shams indeed gave his head
for the privilege of mystical company.

“In
the slaughterhouseof
love, theykill

Onlythe
best,
noneof theweak or
deformed.

Don’t
run awayfrom
this dying.

Whoever’snot
killed forlove, is dead meat.”

– Rumi

(Rumi's tomb/grave in Konya, Turkey)

After the death of Shams Tabrizi, a goldsmith named Saladin
became close friend of Rumi, whom he addressed his poems. And when Saladin
died, he was replaced by Rumi’s own disciple and favorite student Husam. For
the last 12 years of his life, Rumi dictated the six volumes of his masterpiece
“Masnawi” (or Mathnawi) to Husam. Rumi died on 17th December, 1273.
He was buried in Konya (Turkey), beside
his father, and over his remains a splendid shrine was erected. His shrine has
become a place of pilgrimage for all Rumi lovers.

(Rumi's grave in Konya)

Following his death, his followers and his son Sultan Walad
founded the ‘Mevlevi Order’, also known as the ‘Order of the Whirling
Dervishes’, famous for its ‘Sufi dance’ known as the ‘Sama’ ceremony.

(Dervishes dancing in front of Rumi's shrine in Konya)

Wikipedia adds:

Rumi’s works are written in Persian and his ‘Mathnawi’
remains one of the purest literary glories of Persia, and one of the crowning
glories of the Persian language. His original works are widely read today in
their original language across the Persian-speaking world (Iran, Tajikistan,
Afghanistan and parts of
Persian speaking Central Asia). Translations
of his works are very popular in other countries. His poetry has influenced
Persian literature as well as Urdu, Punjabi, Turkish and some other Iranic,
Turkic and Indic languages written in Perso-Arabic script (e.g., Pashto,
Ottoman Turkish, Chagatai and Sindhi). Rumi’s importance is considered to
transcend national and ethnic borders. His poems have been widely translated
into many of the world’s languages and transposed into various formats. In
2007, he was described as the “most popular poet in America”.

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QURAN RECITATION

Al-Quran

The Guiding Light

WELCOME HOME

Assalaam-o-alaikum!

We are glad to see you here. We can accompany you home. By joining us, you'll, Insha-Allah, prepare yourself mentally and spiritually for your onward journey on the road less traveled. We are heading for Home - the promised Home. Allah says:

M. Javed Naseem

M. Javed Naseem (Jay Max) is a well-known journalist and broadcaster from Lahore (Pakistan). He is the author of six books. He has worked as a reporter and then sub-editor for daily Nawa-i-Waqt, Lahore; as sub-editor with the Pakistan Times, Lahore; and as editor of the weekly Community News, New York, NY, among others.He was an international broadcaster for radio Deutsche Welle (The Voice of Germany), Cologne, Germany; news editor and newscaster for Third World Broadcasting TV in New York; was producer & director of ‘Mabuhay’, an English language TV show for the Filipino community in New York. He had been an announcer at Radio Pakistan, Lahore; and Punjabi newscaster for Pakistan Television, Lahore. Before entering the field of professional journalism, he was a Lecturer/Instructor at the Govt. Commercial Training Institute, Lahore. He knows English, French, German, Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi, Persian and some Arabic. He writes for Islamic websites. He is a Pakistani-American and now lives in retirement in Morocco, North Africa.Publications: The Way (Sunnah) of The Prophet (s.a.w.); God's Prescription - Al-Quran; A Wake-up Call; You Are Special; Stories of Prophets.